Citrus Family
by angel0wonder
Summary: "Mom, I love her." Yuzu's voice shook with emotion but her tone was as firm as she's ever heard her.


The mother of the Aihara household was fairly confident that she knew her daughters well. Even Mei, who had only become her daughter a few months ago through marriage, felt like a natural part of the family by now.

At first she had been concerned whether Yuzu and her new sister would get along since the two of them were so different! Yuzu being the cocksure gyaru she was, and Mei being the straight-laced student council president. Needless to say she had expected a little friction to occur!

But while there were some… rough patches along the way, everything seemed to be going smoothly now. Yuzu and Mei left for school together every morning, and Yuzu was starting to act like her usual chipper self nowadays as opposed to the tense, nervous and stressed way she'd been acting ever since Mei moved in with them. And Mei herself was being more pleasant around Yuzu and allowed herself to smile more. She often caught her two daughters sharing smiles from across the table, or room, or street for that matter.

Their mom didn't wonder what prompted this change all that much; she was just happy they were finally getting along like the family they were supposed to be!

Another change that had snagged her attention was that her two daughters were coming home from school a lot earlier and very quickly disappeared into their rooms without much of a greeting in her direction. They would lock the door and remain there the rest of the day and wouldn't bother coming out until meal times. It miffed Mrs. Aihara a bit, but she knew they were teenage girls and they needed their privacy.

She just wished they would actually sleep at night. Often she would find herself waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of thumping against the wall. It was happening so often nowadays that she was actually starting to question her decision of letting them share a room! She once asked about it at the table during breakfast. Yuzu had choked on her food while Mei smoothly answered that they often engaged in pillow fights.

But while Mrs. Aihara had been a girl once too and tried to be as understanding as possible… those two were having _way_ too many pillow fights!

So one night, after hearing Yuzu's distinct squeal followed by a very loud succession of thumping noises in the middle of the night, she took it upon herself to put a stop to their playful scuffle. She wasn't one to get mad at her daughters, but she was tired and annoyed from being woken up by their racket for the umpteenth time. So she stomped over to the girl's room, ready to chastise them for their level of noise.

Her words, however, died on her lips when she pushed their door open and stepped inside. It was like all her senses were assaulted at once in a vicious surprise attack. The gasps and moans suddenly rang in her ears with super clarity, the musky scent of arousal permeated the room and her nose, and her eyes were immediately blinded by the sight of her daughters giving each other… er, giving each other…

Let's just say they were giving each other pony rides.

"M-mom?!" Yuzu's voice gasped out from under Mei. A head of dark hair turned in her direction, bangs plastered to her forehead from sweat, and her breath coming heavily. Mei gave the woman a mildly annoyed look at having been interrupted during her… pony ride.

"…Do you mind?" Mei's soft voice asked politely, eyes glancing at the door behind their mother.

It was amazing how slowly Mrs. Aihara's brain was processing what she was seeing. Mom. exe could not process this request.

"Oh god," Yuzu covered her face with her hands. "Mom, I can explain!"

Their mom finally blinked and turned away from them. "J-Just keep it down!" She said in a hurry, shutting the door behind her.

Oh yes, her daughters were getting along well.

A little too well.

Not two minutes later Yuzu busted down the door of her mother's room dressed in her pajamas, green eyes alight with determination. "Mom, I can explain," she started earnestly. Mei was right behind her, face displaying a hint of nervousness.

"Yuzu—"

"Mom, I love her." Yuzu's voice shook with emotion but her tone was as firm as she's ever heard her. She sounded as certain as an adult. Well, she supposed Yuzu _was_ an adult, if the activities she witnessed earlier were any indication!

"Yuzu, honey, just," Mrs. Aihara ran hands through her hair in frustration. This was too much information for her to handle at once. "How did this even happen? You're sisters!"

The blonde's hands were clenched into fists that shook as she held back her tears. "I don't care!" was her fierce response. Mei's hand appeared on her shoulder, giving it a calming squeeze. They shared a look for a few moments, as if having a mental conversation until Yuzu looked away, acceptingly. Mei stepped up, giving Yuzu's shoulder another squeeze.

"Mother," Mei's voice rang with the authority she usually wielded, commanding their mom's attention. "If you must lay blame on someone…The fault lies with me."

"That's not true at all!" Yuzu started passionately but was silenced when Mei shot a look at her.

"If you wish it, I can move back to my grandfather's home first thing in the morning." Mei offered with a low voice.

"No, I won't let you!" Yuzu grasped at her younger sister's hand, protectiveness flaring in her eyes.

"However," Mei's voice cut her off like the calm in the storm. "I will not give Yuzu up."

Their mother blinked at her in surprise.

"I …need her." Mei's dark eyes glanced down as she admitted this fact quietly. "If it wasn't for her, I probably would have ended my life some time ago."

"Mei," Yuzu's voice cracked at this revelation, the hot tears in her eyes threatening to spill over. Mei's hand held hers back reassuringly.

"So you can do with me as you see fit," Mei went on, dark eyes boring into her adopted mother's gaze. "But my one condition is for you to allow us to be together."

Their mother swallowed, staring at them at a loss. This turned so heavy so _quickly. _But she couldn't just watch these events unfold just standing there like an idiot. She sighed, brushing her hand over her chest. Yuzu had taken to holding Mei tightly around the waist, eyes pleading with her to allow this, but sparking with defiance all the same.

"My girls," she finally said, her tired face pulling up in a heartening expression. "Are you happy?"

Yuzu blinked before exclaiming "Yeah!" Mei nodded mutely, grasping at Yuzu's arms.

"Good." Their mother finally smiled at them, still mildly out of sorts, but accepting all the same. "Just do me a favor and let me sleep at night?"

A grin lit up Yuzu's face even as the tears she'd been holding back spilled down her face in relief. She released Mei and rushed her mother, giving her a huge bear hug. Mrs. Aihara laughed even as the air was squeezed out of her. She looked over Yuzu's shoulder to catch Mei's look of stunned disbelief. The dark haired girl had been so certain that what she'd done was so unforgivable, wretched, and selfish, she couldn't quite believe her adopted mother would forgive her so easily.

But her mother just opened up her arms further and beckoned her second daughter into the hug. Mei stared at her helplessly for a few moments before she hesitantly stepped forward. Yuzu abruptly pulled her by the arm into a group hug, a teary blubbering smile on her radiant face.

No matter what, the mother of the Aihara household will make sure they would always be a happy family.


End file.
